The warm night folded around Summer like a soft blanket, the warmth of the wind at her skin as she stood before the grand door of Kyle Baldwin’s home. Her heart thudded against her ribcage—thud, thud, thud—as she wrestled with the weight of her decision. The house loomed before her, an imposing structure of glass and stone, illuminated by the warm glow of golden lights that spilled through the windows, inviting yet intimidating. 

She could call it off. Just turn around and march back down the street, letting the sultry air fill her lungs and the remnants of her past slip away. But as she hesitated, the thought of Kyle’s dark green eyes flashed through her mind, igniting a familiar fire in her belly.

The way he had looked at her, that spark of something deeper than mere attraction, had lingered in her memory, haunting her for months. 

Taking a deep breath, Summer squared her shoulders and pressed the doorbell. It rang with a resonant chime that echoed into the night, mingling with the distant sounds of traffic and laughter from a nearby party. She could practically hear the headlines forming in her mind. "Senator Baldwin Spotted with Mystery Woman!" “Political Scandal Brews!” But it wasn’t scandal that drew her here; it was a yearning she thought she had buried beneath layers of professionalism and routine.